Top 10 ways to show, not tell

It’s not easy to top the previous post, with a video of burned muffins and all. Watching those muffins burn to a crisp in a 10-second, time-lapse video is “showing” at its best.

But let’s not forget all the other ways to “show, not tell.” Here is a Top 10 list to keep in mind when you report and write:

Describe the scene

Use all your senses

Ask follow questions

Ask follow questions to follow questions

Write simply: subject-verb-object structure

Close your eyes; can you “see” what you just wrote?

Delete words that merely “tell”

Add anecdotes, examples and details

Read what others write

Reread what you write

Special note to boot campers: Review all the feedback you’ve received on your writing over the past three weeks. Apply this Top 10 list to that feedback. Ask yourself: Which points on this list do I “get” and which points do I need to strengthen? If you need a refresher, refer to Strategy 15: “Show, Don’t Tell” in Think Like an Editor. Ask yourself the same questions an editor would ask you.